October 2014

F60America — An exclusive car to mark Ferrari's 60th year in U.S.

(October 12, 2014) MARANELLO, Italy — To celebrate Ferrari’s 60th year in North America, Maranello has returned to its 1950s and 60s tradition of producing strictly limited edition, built-to-order cars. The result is the F60America, of which just 10 will be produced.

The new car combines American clients’ two great passions — the V12 engine and open-top driving — and is being unveiled this weekend.

BMW's global sales growth continues in September

(October 11, 2014) MUNICH — Overall sales of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles have continued to grow, making it the BMW Group’s best ever September. A total of 199,799 vehicles were delivered to customers, an increase of 5.3% on the same month last year.

The first three quarters of 2014 were also the most successful in the company’s history. A total of 1,529,880 vehicles have been sold in the year-to-date, up 6.5% compared to the same period last year.

Hands-free at nearly 150 mph in an Audi RS 7 Sportback

(October 12, 2014) HOCKENHEIM, Germany — A driverless Audi RS 7 Sportback will tackle Germany’s Hockenheim circuit at race speed this week to underscore the potential of piloted driving technology. With the latest Audi developments on board, the concept car will drive autonomously to its physical limits with millimeter precision as an exciting sideshow for the German Touring Car Championship finale on Oct. 19.

Taking to the street in the all-new GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(October 11, 2014) I'm not the kind of guy who gets all lathered up over pickup trucks. Sure, when you need a truck, you need a truck; but how often is that, really? For most of us, not very.

My recent week with a GMC Sierra 2500 4WD Crew Cab was a series of highs and lows. The greatest high was using its 765 lb-ft of torque to pull down my shed. The greatest low was needing to schedule myself to go to the gym before 11 a.m. to be able to get it parked before the lunch crowd showed up at the restaurant next door.

Chevrolet sells more than one million Sparks worldwide

(October 10, 2014) DETROIT — Chevrolet has reached a big number in mini cars, surpassing 1 million sales worldwide of the Spark and Beat. It is fresh evidence of Chevrolet’s small car lineup attracting more people to the brand around the world. Earlier this year, Chevrolet sold its 3 millionth Cruze compact car.   

The Spark first went on sale as the Beat in India in late 2009. Today, the Spark is available in 71 markets worldwide, selling the most in South Korea, followed by the United States and Mexico. In the U.S. sales of the Spark are up 10 percent year to date.

Duracell pledges commitment to powering communities in time of disaster

(October 10, 2014) BETHEL, Conn. — The Duracell Power Forward program, known for donating batteries to those affected by natural disaster since 2011, is expanding its fleet and joining forces with The Weather Channel and Ready.gov to reach more people, more quickly during devastating storms.

With the addition of new vehicles and hubs in New Orleans, San Francisco, and St. Louis, the fleet’s goal is to reach any storm site in the continental U.S. within 24 hours.

Mazda tops U.S. EPA fuel economy for second time

(October 10, 2014) IRVINE, Calif. — According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s most recent Light Duty Fuel Economy Trends report,  Mazda Motor Corporation is the most fuel-efficient auto manufacturer in the U.S for the second consecutive year. 

With the highest fleet-wide adjusted fuel economy performance of 28.1 miles per gallon (MPG), and the lowest adjusted CO2 emissions of 316, Mazda led the chart for model year (MY) 2013, as they did for the previous year. 

California demand accelerates Ford Fusion sales growth

(October 9, 2014) DEARBORN, Mich. — The Ford Fusion is continuing to gain market share in large part due to design-conscious buyers in California. The midsize sedan segment in the U.S. overall continues to grow in sales volume, but as a percentage of total sales the segment is being outpaced by other segments, including small utilities.

Despite those headwinds in the segment, Ford Fusion retail registrations continue to grow at double the pace of the midsize sedan segment overall, according to Ford analysis of Polk new vehicle registration data from IHS Automotive.

SolarCity and Honda announce $50 million commitment to provide solar power

(October 9, 2014) TORRANCE, Calif. — SolarCity and Honda renewed their partnership with a new fund expected to finance $50 million in solar projects at the SXSW Eco conference in Austin, Texas on Wednesday. The new commitment will make solar power more affordable and available to Honda and Acura customers and dealerships in the U.S.

Sales boost puts Bentley on road to record year

(October 9, 2014) CREWE, England — Nine months into 2014 and Bentley’s aim of having a record breaking year is firmly on track. Global deliveries increased by 19%, to 7,786 cars, up from 6,516 cars in the same period in 2013.

Bentley’s four key regions, Americas, China, Europe including the UK, and Middle East all saw strong performance, with the Americas retaining its position as Bentley’s number one market, but with China posting strong growth to close the gap.